7 Charities Helping Syrians That Need Your Support

Over six gruesome years, Syria’s raging conflict has become the “worst man-made disaster the world has seen since World War II,” United Nations human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said this week. “The entire country has become a torture-chamber: A place of savage horror and absolute injustice.”

Helping the millions of crisis-afflicted men, women and children in the devastated nation may seem like an impossible task if you’re thousands of miles away, but charities around the world are doing incredible work on this front ― and they need your support.

KARAM AL-MASRI via Getty Images
There are 13.5 million people inside Syria who need humanitarian aid.

As Syria enters its seventh year of war on Wednesday with no end to the carnage in sight, The Huffington Post has compiled a list of seven pertinent nonprofit humanitarian organizations.

United States Fund For UNICEF

UNICEF is a branch of the United Nations that focuses on helping children around the world. It has established an emergency relief response for Syria, where a sobering 80 percent of children have been affected by the civil war.

“I am imploring the American people to not only watch, listen and grieve, but to join us in taking action on behalf of the most vulnerable ― the children of Aleppo,” said Caryl M. Stern, UNICEF’s president and CEO. “They need us now more than ever.”

Save The Children

Save The Children works on the ground across Syria to distribute thousands of food baskets and medical kits to children and their families. The group is issuing a global appeal for $27 million to support its efforts in the city of Aleppo, where thousands of children are still in dire need of aid. Donations will help STC provide immediate and long-term care and protection to Syria’s children.

Syrian American Medical Society

The Syrian American Medical Society is a health care relief agency that works inside Syria and its neighboring countries to treat the sick and injured. SAMS treated more than 2.6 million Syrians in 2016.

“The humanitarian organizations that work in Syria need to be protected and supported,” SAMS President Ahmad Tarakji told The WorldPost. “This isn’t a political conflict, it’s a humanitarian crisis ― the response should be built upon that principle.”

Donations to SAMS support doctors and health care workers at the organization’s 106 medical facilities.

Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Borders, or Médecins Sans Frontières, is an organization that provides medical care where it is needed most. Some MSF-supported hospitals in Aleppo and beyond have been destroyed in attacks, leaving communities with limited access to health care for extended periods of time. Donations to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate allow MSF-supported medical facilities to treat even more victims of war.

The White Helmets

Also known as the Syria Civil Defense, the White Helmets are a group of volunteers based in Syria who rush to victims’ aid when disaster strikes. So far, the group has saved more than 78,529 lives. The rescue workers’ bravery earned them a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2016, and their short documentary film won an Oscar this year. Donations to the White Helmets’ Hero Fund support wounded rescuers and families of victims, and go toward purchasing rescue equipment.

International Rescue Committee

The International Rescue Committee focuses its relief efforts not only several schools and health facilities within Syria, but also in surrounding countries like Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq, where millions of Syrians have fled throughout the conflict. The IRC also works in the United States to help resettle refugees from Syria. It is supporting vulnerable families who fled Aleppo by giving them money to buy food and other necessities.

Islamic Relief USA

Islamic Relief USA is a U.S.-based humanitarian organization that seeks to alleviate poverty and suffering in countries including Syria. The organization says its donors have helped more than 9.5 million people through Syria projects to date. IRUSA has been supporting people in Aleppo for years, including providing food to 72,000 people who were under siege, but stresses the urgency for increased support.

“We are very concerned that what happened in Aleppo may happen in other areas such as Idlib, where we are also working,” said CEO Anwar Khan. “We are asking the international community to do more to provide safe spaces for civilians inside Syria.”